I read Lynchpin by Seth Godin a while back and there was one line in particular that I highlighted and often find myself coming back to:
"You can spend your time on stage pleasing the heckler in the back, or you can devote it to the audience that came here to see you perform."
This quote nicely summarizes the message I tried to convey in this week's blog. Let's start this Friday-4 edition with my most recent material: - Tony Was a Weirdo, So Mark Opened a Gym - A lesson in the importance of authenticity for those of you who create fitness content. Back in 2006 Tony Gentilcore launched a website and began publishing a blog. A
little over five years later, his unique style served as one of the motivating factors for the launch of one of the most iconic brands in our industry. Allow me to explain...
My Friday FOUR:
Four pieces of content I've consumed this past week that will influence my future blog material and challenge me to think differently about how I
manage Cressey Sports Performance - as always, I'm looking to bring you some business-specific information from outside of the world of fitness. Enjoy: - Your Customers Don't Want You To Act Like a Robot - Chris Brogan does a great job of illustrating the importance of
engaging with your audience in this piece. There's an extremely fine line between effectively utilizing technology that allows you to efficiently distribute the information you publish, and antagonizing your audience. When it comes to follower interaction, don't be a robot.
- Getting More Dream Clients By Being More Who You Really Are - If there is one mistake I see new gym owners make consistently, it would be failing to speak to a specific audience with their marketing efforts. In this piece, the Business For Unicorns guys highlight the importance of finding your sweet spot, which they describe as "a dance between who you really
are and who you’re called to serve." I especially liked the exercise of creating a multiple-page description of your ideal client, specifying his or her traits in painstaking detail. Until we put this information on paper, it is impossible to know if our employees share the same interpretation of our target market.
- This Three-Word Phrase is Subtly Undermining Your Authority - This article touched on one of my biggest pet-peeves. I have a family member who can't seem to stop prefacing everything he says with common expressions such as "honestly," or "frankly." Nothing screams
insincerity to me more than hearing every third sentence teed-up with something along these lines. Cut out the garbage filler words and get straight to the point.
- Here's The Brutal Truth About Why Nobody Wants To Work For Your Company - Thanks to the constantly evolving internet (and social media in particular), it is becoming increasingly difficult for crummy managers to fly under the radar and continue to attract great talent. According to this piece, a potential employee would require as much as a 50% raise on their current wage in order to justify working for a company with a
reputation for poor management. Poor employee retention numbers aren't just expensive because of the costs associated with training new associates - they're now driving up your payroll costs as well...
Make sure to let me know if you come across any material that you think I'd enjoy. More importantly, have a great weekend!
- Pete
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